Contents

13.1 A Turning Point in European Constitutional History............................................................... 372

13.2 The Monarchy as the Historical Basis of the French State.......................................................

13.2.1 From Clovis I to Charlemagne.................................................................................. 374

13.2.2 A Hereditary, Sovereign and Territorial Monarchy.................................................. 375

13.2.3 The Hundred Years’ War and the Bolstering of Monarchical Prestige

and Power.................................................................................................................. 376

13.2.4 The Era of Absolutism: Louis XlV’s Monarchy as a Landmark Reign................. 377

13.3 From the Ancien Regime to the Revolution.............................................................................. 378

13.3.1 Louis XV and the Decline of the French Monarchy................................................. 378

13.3.2 Reactionary Forces Prevail in French Society......................................................... 381

13.4 The French Revolution............................................................................................................. 384

13.4.1 From the Revolt of the Privileged to the Estates General......................................... 384

13.4.2 The Estates General.................................................................................................. 386

13.4.3 From the Estates General to the Rebellion of the Third Estate (May 5-June

27, 1789)............................................................................................................... 388

13.4.4 The Rebellion of the Third Estate.........................................................................

13.4.5 The Two Revolutions............................................................................................ 391

13.4.6 From Monarchy to Republic..................................................................................... 392

13.5 What Lasting Effects Did the French Revolution Have?.......................................................... 394

13.5.1 The Appearance of “National Sovereignty”.......................................................... 394

13.5.2 The Origins of “National” Patriotism.................................................................... 394

13.5.3 The Symbols of the French State......................................................................... 395

13.5.4 The Reinforcement of the State............................................................................. 396

13.5.5 The Social Transformation of France.................................................................... 398

13.5.6 The European Dimension of the French Revolution............................................ 398

13.6 The Failure of Assembly-Based Government.......................................................................... 399

References............................................................................................................................................ 405

13.1